SK Exclusive: Real reason why Kairi Sane won the Mae Young ClassicÂ
What's the story?
As seen last night, Shayna Baszler lost to Kairi Sane in the final of the Mae Young Classic, in what turned out to be a huge upset. Sources have informed us that this was a last minute decision based a number of variables.
In case you didn't know...
The Mae Young Classic was an ongoing special event, promoted by the WWE and is available on the WWE Network.
The 32 competitor tournament was exclusively for women from both NXT and the independent circuit. It concluded last night in Vegas, with Kari Sane prevailing as the winner.
The heart of the matter
According to our sources, the late decision was made to have Kari Sane win, as the WWE has managed to negotiate a permanent deal with Sane -- but NOT with Baszler, as things stand.
The WWE was also able to trademark the name Kari Sane, who was formerly known as Kairi Hojo.
In addition to that, it was also decided that the winner of the Mae Young Classic will go on to receive a title shot for NXT Women's Championship. We are being informed that this title match will be a Fatal 4 Way for the vacant NXT Women's Championship.
The final reason was due to Vince McMahon's decision to scrap any further teasing of a match between the 4 Horsewomen of MMA vs the 4 Horsewomen of the WWE.
Vince was not involved in the original teaser video that was filmed backstage. However, he was present last night and nixed any further teases due to the fact the WWE isn't even in negotiations with Rousey and because Baszler also doesn't have a WWE deal, unlike Kairi Sane.
What's next?
We have been told that Sane will end up in NXT and will be inserted straight into the vacant NXT Championship scene.
Auh's take
Despite only being around a few months, Shayna Baszler has already become the victim of a last-minute Vince McMahon decision. The WWE certainly failed to make the most of having Ronda Rousey on their TV, however, Vince McMahon's philosophy of not promoting something they can't deliver is both logical and consistent.
Fans may recall when Vince McMahon was said to be furious backstage at both Steve Austin and Paul Heyman. The duo went into business for themselves on Austin's podcast on WWE Network, when they began teasing a Lesnar vs Austin match for WrestleMania 32; a match Vince McMahon had no plans to do.